A Mind among Men
by Noaki
Summary: Ranma is challenged to a fight by Happosai. Win and live his life as he wants. Lose and have his choices made for him.
1. Memories

A Mind among Men  
A Ranma Fanfic  
Written By : Noaki (Noaki@juno.com)  
  
Disclaimer : I do not own in any way shape or form any  
part of Ranma. I only use it's characters and some of its  
storyline.  
  
Conversation Key :  
[" "]=Thoughts  
" " =Speaking  
* * =Telepathy  
{" "}=Panda Signs  
\" "/=Other Languages  
  
Prolog  
Memories  
  
+----------------------------------------------------------+  
  
What has happened (Time line):  
This fanfic takes place a week after the failed wedding attempt.  
  
+----------------------------------------------------------+  
  
Ranma sat on top of the roof of the Tendo dojo. He stared up at the stars, thinking about his life. The events of the past week had piled up to become a great burden, one he knew he couldn't carry for long. Only seven days ago the wedding with Akane had been ruined. Shampoo and Ukyo bombing the place, as well as the Kunos going crazy (a common event), and finally Happosai drinking the last water from the spring of drown man made sure that the wedding plans had failed. To add to that his mother moved into a new house, and his only sorce of comfort and support was lost. These were not his biggest problems. No, the largest problem he faced at the moment was the challenge that Happosai made. Who would have thought that the old pervert was truly interested in joining the Saotome and Tendo families?  
  
As he gazed towards the heavens he thought back.  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _  
_=-+-=_=-+-=_Two days ago_=-+-=_=-+-=_  
  
"Boy! Get in here, the master has something to say!" Genma shouted to Ranma, who had been practicing his chi manipulation by the koi pond.  
  
"What is it Pops?" Ranma shouted back. He was upset because of the interruption in his meditation, and he was still upset over the wedding attempt a few nights ago.  
  
"Ranma! Get in here before the master gets upset!" Genma shouted back.  
  
With a sigh Ranma got up and walked into the dojo where his father was. Upon entering he saw the entire Tendo family gathered around Happosai. Happosai was sitting in lotus position in the middle of the group, his expression unreadable. "What is it old lecher?" Ranma asked.  
  
Happosai opened one eye and stared at Ranma. "I have something to say about the engagement. After the failure at the wedding, I can no longer trust these two idiots to bring the families together." he said.  
  
"It was partly YOUR fault that the wedding failed. And why should you care if me and Akane get married?" Ranma replied angrily.  
  
"Can you blame an old man for quenching his thirst? Anyway, if you get married with a Tendo the schools will be united and I can retire." Happosai said.  
  
"You mean you can devote even more time to stealing panties?" Ranma replied.  
  
"Well... yes. And you won't interfere with Akane as a wife! That brings me to my point. I know you want to work out this fiancee thing yourself. So I'm issuing a challenge!" Happosai said happily.  
  
"I can take you on anytime anywhere freak!" Ranma replied.  
  
"You must take on me and any allies I can gather before the fight. If you win you may sort out your fiancee problem yourself and I won't interfere. If we win, then you will marry Akane no matter who interferes with the wedding." Happosai said gleefully as he hopped up to his feet.  
  
"So you will leave me alone to solve my problems by myself when I win?" Ranma said, sensing a trap.  
  
"Yes." Happosai replied.  
  
"I accept then!" Ranma said, happiness shining in his eyes.  
  
"You better win! I don't want to be married to a pervert like you!" Akane shouted.  
  
"Wah! Ranma doesn't want to marry my daughter!" Soun said as he cried all over Genma and Ranma.  
  
"Oh my!" Kasumi said as she pulled a mop out of nowhere.  
  
Nabiki couldn't say anything, she was laughing to hard.  
  
"I thought I told you to keep your family quiet!" Happosai shouted at Soun.  
  
The Tendos got quiet quickly.  
  
"The fight will be at the High School in two weeks." Happosai said.  
  
"Fine by me." Ranma-chan replied, while wringing Soun's tears out of her hair.  
  
"MASTER! I will assist you in battle!" Soun shouted as he stood and pulled samurai armor and a bo staff out of nowhere. "I will train for two weeks so I can defeat Ranma and join the families!"  
  
{"I will fight too! Now where did I put the Umi-sen-ken and Yama-sen-ken scrolls..."} Genma-panda signed as he started searching the dojo.  
  
"Very good, that is two allies for me!" Happosai said, while grinning a grin bigger than his head should of been able to hold.  
  
["I'm in trouble... it's gonna be hard to take ALL of them on at once. And I KNOW the old freak will somehow get more allies in this..."] Ranma-chan thought as she watched Genma-panda start throwing vacuum blades and Soun whirl his bo staff around at incredible speeds. ["When did he learn that?"]  
_ _ _ _ _ _  
_=-+-=_=-+-=_Present_=-+-=_=-+-=_  
  
["Somehow he got Pantyhose Taro to join him, must have promised to change his name after he won. Don't know why Ryoga decided to fight. Mousse wants me to lose so I can't marry Shampoo. Kuno wants me to release the pig tailed girl, never mind that if he wins he loses Akane. Not that he ever had her. I don't even want to know how many panties and bras he had to steal to be able to summon those three demons. All in two days. Looks like I better train hard for the next twelve. It's not that I don't want to marry Akane, I just want to know how they feel and how I feel. Now how am I going to deal with Pops using the forbidden techniques? I guess I could return to that scroll Mistress Kionai gave me. But do I really want to unlock those powers? Would it be so bad to lose and get married to Akane..."] Ranma thought, as once again he slipped into a memory.  
_ _ _ _ _ _  
_=-+-=_=-+-=_Last Night_=-+-=_=-+-=_  
  
"You better not lose! I couldn't stand to be married to a pervert like you!" Akane shouted in Ranma's ear.  
  
"You seemed ready to marry me at that last wedding. Why the sudden change?" Ranma asked.  
  
"Because you like having all of those fiancees! I don't know why I ever thought I loved you!" Akane shouted back.  
  
"... What?!? You loved me?" Ranma replied, going into the Soul of Ice so he wouldn't lose his nerve.  
  
"Did I say that?" Akane said with a worried expression. When Ranma slowly nodded she got mad again. "What does it matter to you! You didn't seem ready to tie the knot with me! You just wanted that spring water! Probably would have left with one of those floozy you like so much right after the wedding. Knowing how big of a pervert you are, you'd probably wait until after the honeymoon!" Akane shouted back, cheeks getting slightly red at the thought of being on a honeymoon with Ranma. And what married couples do on their honeymoon.  
  
"Why would you say something like that!" Ranma shouted, the attack on his honor spearing deep. Neither noticed the ice crystals forming on the grass all around.  
  
"You didn't seem ready to stop those two when they bombed the wedding! You probably asked them to do it!" Akane shouted.  
  
That is when Ranma noticed the mist in the air and the patch of ice, that stretched out six feet in all directions, he was sitting in the middle of. "Akane. Just leave me alone. I don't want to hear this and I refuse put up with it anymore." he said.  
  
"You'll listen to whatever I want to say to you!" she shouted. With that said Ranma stood up and leapt away in one fluid motion. Akane started to follow, but slipped on the ice. Taking a quick look around she started to worry. ["What have I done?"]  
_ _ _ _ _ _  
_=-+-=_=-+-=_Present_=-+-=_=-+-=_  
  
Ranma sighed softly. ["It took me three hours to drop the Soul of Ice after that. One good thing was any water that came within a foot of me was instantly frozen. Getting hit by the ice blocks wasn't any fun though. I wish I knew how I felt about my fiancees and how they felt about me. If I do use that scroll to unlock my training back then... I would know. Mistress Kionai told me to be careful about it though."] he thought as once more the stars blurred and became a memory.  
_ _ _ _ _ _  
_=-+-=_=-+-=_Years ago_=-+-=_=-+-=_  
  
On a mountain somewhere in eastern China a seven-year-old boy with black hair and a pigtail sat facing a woman with brown hair. She appeared in her mid twenties and had soft eyes that seemed to know everything about you, and tell you everything was OK at the same time. She handed a tightly bound scroll to the boy and began to speak. "Ranma, I don't know how you managed to sneak away from your father enough, but I am glad you did. I was able to remove the Neko-ken's fear, but it caused a few side effects. One was causing you to behave more like a cat constantly. So I locked that away. You will still fear cats until it becomes unlocked. Unfortunately, locking the Neko-ken away as I did cause some problems too. I had to lower your mental capacities so you couldn't use the training I gave you. If you were to use the training, it would bring the cat back out. I'm very sorry about that and hope you can forgive me. This scroll contains the keywords to remove the block from your mind. Be careful though. If you aren't ready for it, it might send you permanently into the Neko-ken. I trust you to make the right choice when the time comes."  
  
"Yes Mistress Kionai. I'll remember that." Ranma said.  
  
"Good. You better get back to your father. He wants to leave tomorrow you know. Don't lose that scroll. And good luck." Kionai said as she turned and walked away from Ranma, a tear in her eye.  
  
"Goodbye sensei." Ranma muttered before turning away and running back to camp. As he was packing the scroll into a hidden part of his backpack he dried his glistening eyes. ["Pops said real men don't cry."]  
_ _ _ _ _ _  
_=-+-=_=-+-=_Present_=-+-=_=-+-=_  
  
["Pops is an idiot."] Ranma thought as a tear rolled down his cheek. ["Do I want to risk the Neko-ken? Is it worth it? I could just run. But then I'd be no better that Pops. I wish I could remember all of my time with Mistress Kionai. I know she taught me so much. Now I understand what she was saying back then. Her memory lock basically made me mentally weak. It would be so easy to fix now. But is it worth the risk? If I became permanently Neko-fied what would happen to me. If I was lucky they would accept it. Maybe I would be happier like that? Everyone always says my neko side is playful and happy."]  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _  
_=-+-=_=-+-=_Months ago_=-+-=_=-+-=_  
  
"You should have seen yourself! I'm getting a tape recorder so I can show you next time!" Nabiki said. "If only you could remember!"  
  
"I really don't think it was that funny." Ranma-chan muttered.  
  
"Oh? You chasing Happosai down while in the Neko-ken, getting a bra wrapped around your chest and panties stuck on your head by the old leach, then chasing after Akane like that until she malleted you into the koi pond isn't funny?"  
  
"No it's not. The damn bra is to tight for my female form anyway." Ranma-chan said as she continued to struggle with the clasp on the underclothing.  
_ _ _ _ _ _  
_=-+-=_=-+-=_Present_=-+-=_=-+-=_  
  
["I have to win this fight. Unlocking my memories is the only chance I have. I can see a few possible outcomes. One, I don't use the scroll and lose the fight, married to Akane forever, but still have to sort my fiancee problems out. Two, I don't use the scroll and get lucky and win. Three, I use the scroll and still lose, but would understand Akane's feelings better. Four, I use the scroll and win, then I could at least know how everyone feels. And Five, I use the scroll and lose my mind to the Neko-ken, but would be happy until I die, just not knowing it."] Ranma thought as his gaze to the stars was blocked by a dark cloud. A roll of thunder was heard before a light sheet of rain came down. Ranma's curse triggered and she sat there for a few minutes. "Not like I really have too much to lose." She said as she hopped off the roof and went to her room to dig through her backpack. A smile crossed her face when she got a scroll from a hidden pocket.  
  
+----------------------------------------------------------+  
  
Short? Yes.  
  
Why? It's the prolog. And I wanted to end it with a bit of suspense. (Not that it is very suspenseful.)  
  
What is the scroll? What memories and training will it unlock? If you read my original story, you probably have it figured out.  
  
Why did I decide to scrap the original story and start over? The original was dead in my head (Damn... I hate when I make dumb rhymes like that.). I couldn't figure out what I wanted to do. It was too different to follow the original storyline. And I don't have enough experience writing to think up a new storyline. (I could, but it would take too long and the chapters would be short and far between.) So I decided to start from the wedding attempt and just add in the training as something locked away.  
  
What the hell have I been doing the past few months? Alot. I'm working on a web page to host my fics. And I refuse to post the site until I am happy with it and have more than one fic to host. I will be accepting fics to host, so email them to me and I'll look it over (I will review all the fics sent to me. I don't want junk on my page.) I am also working on a few other fics at the same time. I hope to have enough of them done soon that I can get the site up, but who knows?  
  
REVISION: Nov 27, 2002  
Added in Nodoka buying a new house to live in. Thanks to TerraEpon for pointing this out! Also fixed a few spelling errors and typos.  
  
Noaki (Noaki@juno.com) 


	2. Remembering

A Mind among Men  
A Ranma Fanfic  
Written By : Noaki (Noaki@juno.com)  
  
Disclaimer : I do not own in any way shape or form any  
part of Ranma. I only use it's characters and some of its  
storyline.  
  
Conversation Key :  
[" "]=Thoughts  
" " =Speaking  
* * =Telepathy  
{" "}=Panda Signs  
\" "/=Other Languages  
  
Chapter One  
Remembering  
  
+----------------------------------------------------------+  
  
What has happened (Time line):  
This fanfic takes place a week after the failed wedding attempt. Ranma sits on the roof and thinks (Hell let out for a snow day) about and upcoming challenge. He finally decides to use a scroll that could very well drive him insane for life. Now we get to find out what was on the scroll :)  
  
+----------------------------------------------------------+  
  
Ranma pulled the scroll out from it's hiding place. He almost unrolled it there, but decided he needed someplace where he wouldn't be disturbed. He decided on the dojo. He hid the scroll in his shirt and walked downstairs towards the dojo.  
  
"Where do you think you are going?" Nabiki said as he walked by the living room.  
  
"Uhh... nowhere really." Ranma said nervously.  
  
Nabiki narrowed her eyes and took a close look. ["What does he think he is hiding in his shirt? I better look into this."] she thought as she noticed the bulge in the front of Ranma's shirt. "Fine. But remember you have school tomorrow. Don't stay up too late." she said. ["I'll just follow him and see what he is up to."]  
  
Ranma laughed nervously and continued to walk to the dojo. After he arrived he sat down on a mat in the middle, never noticing Nabiki watching him from the shadows. He slowly undid the clasp and unrolled the scroll, but didn't look at it yet. ["It's too late for second thoughts. I have no other choice. I'll just have to risk it."] he thought as he slowly turned his head down to read the scroll.  
  
Dear Ranma,  
If you are reading this then I am sure  
something has happened and you require  
your memories of the past that I locked  
away. Indeed, it must be a great  
importance for you to risk the Neko-ken  
like this. Before you continue, please  
give it a second thought. If there is  
any other way other than this, I would  
advise you to take it.  
  
Since you have continued to read  
you must be careful. Clear your mind  
and repeat the words printed at the  
bottom of the scroll out loud.  
  
Good luck Ranma.  
  
Kionai  
  
Ranma took a moment to reread the scroll. Another tear rolled down his face at the thought of Mistress Kionai. She had always helped him in every memory he had of her. Even to this day she planned ahead to look out for him. He took a deep breath and calmed his nerves, slipping into the Soul of Ice for better concentration. He felt the familiar chill in the air as he fully unrolled the scroll and read the words on the bottom out loud. "Bippidy Boppidy Boo..." he said, then chaos assaulted his mind. The Neko-ken came out of it's corner in his mind and enveloped his world in darkness. He fell backwards from his sitting position into a restless sleep.  
  
Nabiki was shocked, she heard Ranma say something from a weird American movie then faint. She rushed out to him to check for his pulse. His heart was still beating steadily and his breathing was only slightly slower than normal. She quickly got up and found Akane to help her drag Ranma to his room. ["What has he gotten himself into this time?"]  
_ _ _  
_=-+-=_=-+-=_  
  
The next morning the sun shone brightly through the guest room's window. The beam of photons shined onto Ranma's face. He slowly opened one eye and looked around the room. His gaze passed the window and the direct sunlight made him flinch and close his eyes tightly.  
  
"Kasumi, Nabiki! Ranma is awake!" Akane shouted when she noticed Ranma's motions.  
  
"How are you feeling and what happened?" Nabiki asked as she and Kasumi ran into the room.  
  
"Meow." Ranma said.  
  
"Oh my!" Kasumi said.  
  
"The Neko-ken?" Akane and Nabiki said, at the same time. They looked at each other then looked back at Ranma.  
  
"Did I just say 'Meow'?" Ranma asked as he sat up.  
  
"Yes you did, and I would very much like to know why." Nabiki replied.  
  
"Umm... hehehe. Look at the time!" Ranma said while scratching the back of his head. "I better eat quickly so I'm not late for school." he said as he rushed out of the room and jumped down all the stairs at once, landing on all fours.  
  
"Ranma... concerned about school? And what was up with his landing?" Akane mumbled.  
  
"Something odd is going on." Nabiki said. ["And I am determined to find out."]  
_ _ _  
_=-+-=_=-+-=_  
  
"Halt foul demon who would dare to defy me; Kuno, the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High! I shall purge this realm of your existence today and send you back to the flaming pits that spawned you! Then I shall finally free the Tigress Akane, and the Pigtailed-Goddess from your evil spells." Kuno spouted as he pointed his bokken at the approaching figure of Ranma.  
  
"Not today Kuno. Your mouth is the only flaming pit I've ever seen on a regular basis. I'm sure Hell would be much quieter though." Ranma said as he casually knocked Kuno out with a thrown rock.  
  
"I fight on!" Kuno mumbled as he slumped to the ground.  
  
"I'm sure you do." Ranma said as he left a stunned Akane and Nabiki behind him and walked into the school building.  
  
"What is wrong with Ranma?" Akane asked quietly.  
  
"Ask him, not me." Nabiki replied.  
_ _ _  
_=-+-=_=-+-=_  
  
"Saotome! Since you seem to not require paying attention to the studies, then you must already know the material." the teacher said as he looked at Ranma, who was staring out the window as usual. "What are the roots of the problem 'X^3-6X^2-X+30'?" he asked, a grin on his face for pegging Ranma with bucket duty again.  
  
"-2, 3, and 5." Ranma replied instantly, his gaze never drifting.  
  
The teacher was stunned. How RANMA of all people got that right was odd. And how he didn't even need to try and work the problem... he must be cheating. "Very well Ranma, try this one. 'X^4-3X^3-2X^2+2X+12'."  
  
"-1-i, -1+i, 2, and 3." Ranma answered as he did before.  
  
The teacher and class face-faulted. The regained their feet and chairs quickly. ["Lets see him cheat on one at the end of the book!"] he thought as he flipped to the first lesson of the last chapter. "What is the cosecant of a 210 degree angle?" he said.  
  
"-2." Ranma said.  
  
"Wha... How? Fine, what is the second law of thermodynamics?" the teacher asked desperately.  
  
"I must be in the wrong room. I'm supposed to be in math, not science. And the answer is Entropy, all energy moves towards disorder." Ranma said calmly as he started to gather his books to leave the room.  
  
"No stay, I'm gonna go get an aspirin. This must be a weird dream." the teacher said as he left the room.  
  
"When did you learn all that?" Akane hissed at Ranma, who was siting right next to her.  
  
"What? Oh, dunno. Just knew it." He replied. ["I gotta be more careful. Don't want it to seem like I changed THAT much overnight... even if it is true."] he thought as he decided to ignore whispers of the class around him.  
_ _ _  
_=-+-=_=-+-=_  
  
Akane and her friend Kekkan and Musume we outside eating lunch. The topic of the conversation was today's strange happenings in the classroom.  
  
"What is up with Ranma? He seems... smart today or something. Did Shampoo drug him again?" Kekkan asked Akane.  
  
"Maybe. He collapsed last night and woke up this morning acting funny." Akane replied.  
  
"Well lets go ask him and find out! He shouldn't be keeping secrets from his fiancee after all!" Musume said as she and Kekkan grabbed Akane by the arms and dragged her towards the tree Ranma was eating and reading under.  
  
"He is not my fiancee!" Akane protested, but allowed herself to be drug towards Ranma anyway. Just then she noticed the cat sneaking up on him. "Ranma don't turn around!" she shouted as she rushed forward to pick up the cat and hide it from view.  
  
"What?" Ranma said as he looked up from his food and book to watch Akane run towards him. He suddenly felt a light weight on top of his head. He reached up and pulled a light gray cat off. "Hello there. Want some fish cakes?" he asked calmly. The cat meowed and Ranma grinned as he gave the kitten a little treat. "There ya go." he said happily.  
  
"RAN-CHAN I'LL SAVE YOU!" Ukyo shouted as she ran towards Ranma to remove the kitten from him. She reached forward and fell over as the kitten suddenly latched onto Ranma's shirt and out of the way of her hand. "Don't worry Ran-chan!"  
  
"Why would I worry? Your the one that scared C-chan here." he replied as he rolled her off of his lap.  
  
"C-chan? What that mean?" Shampoo said as she landed her bike next to Ranma, the bowl of ramen she brought for him forgotten for the moment.  
  
"C as in cat and chan for cute. If Akane can name the pig P-chan, I figure I can name this kitten C-chan." he said with a smile. The kitten meowed as it looked up at Ranma. "Oh, he likes the name Kooshaku better it seems." Ranma said as he petted the small, gray, ball of fur.  
  
"What about the Neko-ken?" Akane said as she reached him.  
  
"What about it? Oh! I see what you mean. It's not a problem anymore. Just don't tell anyone, it's my surprise for the upcoming fight." Ranma said with a grin. "Now then, I gotta finish this book."  
  
Akane, Ukyo, and Shampoo sweatdropped when Ranma picked up his book and started reading, still holding the kitten, and completely ignored them.  
  
"Well... that explains alot I guess." Musume said softly.  
_ _ _  
_=-+-=_=-+-=_  
  
"No way Pops!" Ranma shouted as he smacked his father into the koi pond.  
  
{"You cannot leave! We have to plan your wedding!"} Genma-panda signed as he swung a paw at Ranma.  
  
"I gotta go train! And I'm not getting married, not unless you somehow win! If you think you can keep me here so I can't train, you have another thing coming." Ranma said.  
  
{"Insolent boy! Stop acting like a weak little girl."} Genma-panda signed.  
  
Ranma grinned then hopped into the koi pond. "Like this?" Ranma-chan said as she pulled a mallet out of nowhere and beaned Genma-panda with it.  
  
As Genma-panda collapsed a sign fell to the floor. {"I'll have a talk to Akane about teaching you that..."}  
  
"Oh my. Umm... Dinner is ready Ranma." Kasumi said from the porch.  
  
"Thanks. I'll be leaving after eating." Ranma-chan replied as she walked upstairs to change into a dry shirt.  
_ _ _  
_=-+-=_=-+-=_  
  
"I'll be back in ten days. I put all my school work on the floor in the guest room. Turn it in for me if you can." Ranma-chan said as she heated her backpack and began to walk towards the gate of the Tendo compound.  
  
"Stay away from those floozies!" Akane shouted after him.  
  
"Can't you trust me? I'm just going to the woods to train." Ranma-chan replied.  
  
"How can I trust you? You never have earned it! And why do you need to train?" Akane said.  
  
Ranma-chan stopped right before leaving the gate. "I need to train so I don't hurt anyone." she replied without turning around.  
  
"Don't hurt anyone?" Akane asked, visibly confused.  
  
"That's right. I have a new technique. I have to learn to control it. That's all. I have to leave now." Ranma-chan said as she walked out the gate and turned onto the sidewalk.  
  
"That baka..." Akane whispered, then walked back into her room. As she was walking up the stairs, she looked down to see a small black pig on the floor. "Oh P-chan! I'm so confused... maybe you can help me. You see Ranma..." Akane started as she picked up P-chan and closed the door to her room.  
_ _ _ _ _ _  
_=-+-=_=-+-=_Ten Days Later_=-+-=_=-+-=_  
  
The sun was rising over the Tendo dojo. Kasumi was folding laundry when she heard the front door open. "Ranma! Your back! Let me see your bag and I'll wash your clothes." Kasumi said as Ranma-chan walked into the house.  
  
"Thanks Kasumi, but I'll do it myself. You should rest to get rid of that headache of yours." Ranma-chan replied.  
  
"Oh my! Thank you. But, how did you know I had a headache?" Kasumi replied.  
  
Ranma-chan just smiled.  
  
"So, you decided you like your female form more now?" Nabiki asked as she came down the stairs, yawning.  
  
"Not really. Had a run in with a fire truck. I was meditating before I came back. Some idiot thought my aura was a flame and called the fire department." Ranma-chan said.  
  
"Do you really exp..." Nabiki started before Ranma-chan cut her off.  
  
"No, I don't expect you to believe that. But it is what happened. I'll show you the tape later. The dash camera on the fire truck caught the whole thing." Ranma-chan said.  
  
"..."  
  
"I'm gonna go put my stuff in the wash. I'll be in the furo after that." Ranma-chan said as she walked towards the laundry room, taking off her pack as she went.  
  
"Was that Ranma?" Akane said as she came down the stairs.  
  
"Yes, I think. Something is weird here though. I can't quite put a finger on it..." Nabiki said.  
  
"You'll get it later, I'm going to the dojo." Akane said.  
  
"Breakfast will be ready at 7:30." Kasumi told her.  
  
"Thanks."  
_ _ _  
_=-+-=_=-+-=_  
  
"Hold Ranma, Dark Mage of Furinkan High, I Kuno, Blue Thunder of Furinkan High, challenge you today! Have at the!" Kuno shouted as he swung his bokken at Ranma's head.  
  
"Dark Mage of Furinkan High? Let me guess? Missed me the past ten days?" Ranma replied as he ducked under a swing then hopped lightly over the next. "Really Kuno, I did like Ranma Saotome better than Ranma the Dark Mage. Stick to my real name and hold the poetry please."  
  
"I shall release the pig-tailed one and Akane Tendo from your vile grasp!"  
  
"Wait till the challenge tomorrow. Happosai will get ticked if I injure you now. Who knows what he would do to you and me for jumping the gun on the battle." Ranma replied.  
  
Kuno stopped dead in his tracks, face white as a sheet. "True, I shall hold my fury until the morrow. But then you shall face I, The Blue Thunder, in honorable combat. I shall fight on!"  
  
"You do that." Ranma said as he walked into the school building.  
  
"Did Ranma just defuse a Kuno-bomb?" someone asked Nabiki.  
  
Nabiki stared out the third floor window of her classroom. "I think he did. Kuno must not be feeling well today. Ranma can't talk his way out of a parrot shop." ["That, or something has changed. I have to find out what he is up to."]  
_ _ _  
_=-+-=_=-+-=_  
  
The day proceeded as normal for a Friday at Furinkan High. All except for the fact that Ranma was spending more time in class than in the halls with bucket duty and Kuno was halfway sane. News of the upcoming fight had already been spread, and now news that maybe China or Russia was a nice place to visit tomorrow.  
  
After school let out, Nermia was oddly quiet. For once Shampoo hadn't glomped Ranma all day, she was too busy finding out what was wrong with him. Ukyo kept her distance from Ranma, scared of what was happening. Akane never pulled her mallet in anger, for Ranma seemed to have discovered a cure for his foot-in-mouth disease that had plagued him for so long. Kodachi was away at a happy camp (read as lunatic farm) untill tomorrow, so she wasn't a problem. Soun and Genma had no time to harass Ranma or Akane, they were busy training with the master. Happosai was enjoying sending the two idiots out to do his dirty work for him, so he sat back and relaxed and prepared for the fight tomorrow. By Nermia formulas, it was going to be a doozy.  
_ _ _  
_=-+-=_=-+-=_  
  
The sun rose over the fields of Furinkan High, sending long thin shadows spearing into the dew covered grass. A large crowd had gathered to watch what promised to be a fight that could make an alien invasion seem boring. The shadows revealed one figure standing across from a fair multitude gathered around a small old man in the middle. As even the birds quieted down to watch the mayhem that was sure to erupt, the fighters began their introductions.  
  
+----------------------------------------------------------+  
  
Yes, I know I suck for leaving off here, but it is late at night - or early in the morning - and I want to get to bed and sleep. Maybe I'll come up with some interesting ideas for the fight while I sleep. Over half of this story is something I had a dream about. I'm still wondering why I dream of Ranma fight sequences and such. Enough pointless chatter, I'm delusional and sleepy at the moment. I'll have the next chapter out ASAP and hopefully, it will be longer. Now that I have background out of the way I should be able to write longer chapters.  
  
On another note, I am still trying to decide who Ranma will decide to marry. If he decides to marry. Maybe I'll be evil and have him marry the ladle lady or something. Muahahaha. Fear my mind at one in the morning.  
  
Noaki (Noaki@juno.com) 


	3. Shattering

A Mind among Men  
A Ranma Fanfic  
Written By : Noaki (Noaki@juno.com)  
  
Disclaimer : I do not own in any way shape or form any  
part of Ranma. I only use it's characters and some of its  
storyline.  
  
Conversation Key :  
[" "]=Thoughts  
" " =Speaking  
* * =Telepathy  
{" "}=Panda Signs  
\" "/=Other Languages  
  
Chapter Two  
Shattering  
  
+----------------------------------------------------------+  
  
What has happened (Time line):  
This fanfic takes place a week after the failed wedding attempt. Ranma sits on the roof and thinks (Hell let out for a snow day) about an upcoming challenge. He finally decides to use a scroll that could very well drive him insane for life. After reading the scroll, a big change comes over Ranma. He leaves for a ten day training trip and comes back very different. After a day at school the preparation for the upcoming battle is completed and the fighters gather in the early morning.  
  
+----------------------------------------------------------+  
  
The sun rose over the fields of Furinkan High, sending long thin shadows spearing into the dew covered grass. A large crowd had gathered to watch what promised to be a fight that could make an alien invasion seem boring. The shadows revealed one figure standing across from a fair multitude gathered around a small old man in the middle. As even the birds quieted down to watch the mayhem that was sure to erupt, the fighters began their introductions.  
  
"Alright, I'm here old perv. Can we get this over with?" Ranma shouted out towards the group of fighters.  
  
"Not yet! We have to entertain the crowds. Happosai! Have your... er... team... identify themselves." Nabiki shouted from her impromptu ticket booth.  
  
Ranma and Happosai face-faulted. "Fine. I am Happosai, and I'm gonna make you carry on the Anything Goes school as you should!" Happosai said as he stood up.  
  
"We fight alongside the master! Our children will join the families!" Genma and Soun shouted.  
  
"RANMA PREPARE TO DIE! You confused Akane!" Ryoga shouted.  
  
"You do realize that if you DO beat me I have to marry Akane?" Ranma replied.  
  
"NOT IF YOU'RE DEAD!" Ryoga said then started to laugh.  
  
"I shall smite thou foul presence once and fore all to release the lovely pig tailed girl." Kuno shouted.  
  
"The old man said he'd change my name if you lost." Pantyhose Taro said.  
  
"If you marry Akane, then Ukyo will marry me!" Konatsu said.  
  
"If you marry Akane, then Shampoo will marry me!" Mousse said.  
  
"As much as I hate to admit it, I owed Happosai a favor. I ask that you do not hold this battle against me." Herb said.  
  
"Herb? How you doing?" Ranma said happily.  
  
"Fine and you?" Herb replied before Happosai smacked him over the back of the head with a pipe.  
  
"Quit talking with the enemy and pay attention!" Happosai said as he hid his pipe in his sleeve.  
  
"I shall defeat you and prove to all that my school of Not Much Goes Toothpick Fencing is the best in the world!" some strange guy in armor made from toothpicks shouted.  
  
"Is he for real?" Ranma asked.  
  
"Afraid so..." Happosai replied with a frown.  
  
"OK, tickets are sold and bets in place. You can fight now." Nabiki said while shoving a large roll of yen into her back pocket.  
  
"What are the rules old freak?" Ranma asked.  
  
"Why, Anything Goes of course. If we win, and you live, you marry Akane. If you somehow manage to defeat all of us then you can choose your own fiancee at your own pace." Happosai said with an evil grin.  
  
"You better not lose!" Akane shouted from the crowd.  
  
"Alright. Ready when you are." Ranma said as he dropped down to all fours and arched his back.  
  
"What the hell?" the crowd and Happosai team said at once, except for Kuno. He was currently running at Ranma bokken first.  
  
"Die foul Black Sorcerer Saotome." he cried as he swung his bokken at Ranma's head.  
  
Ranma casually swiped one hand out. Kuno went white as a sheet as his bokken fell apart in several pieces.  
  
"It seems grandson has mastered the Neko-ken." Cologne said from the sidelines. "This will be a good fight!"  
  
"Umm... did he just destroy a bokken without touching it?" Toothpick boy asked. "Well... um.. that's nice... I'm outta here." he said when Genma slowly nodded. He then turned tail and ran... straight into the pool.  
  
"Die Saotome!" Mousse shouted as he threw uncountable numbers of chains from his sleeves towards Ranma.  
  
Ranma lazily dodged all the chains and bound towards Genma and Soun. "Meow." he said after coming to a halt in front of them.  
  
Genma and Soun are not known for their brilliance. They do, however, have a great sense of self-preservation. All they could think of was what Ranma could do when in the Neko-ken, and the fact that Ranma was currently in the Neko-ken at the moment. The fact that there were no cats around was lost on them. The survival sense that told them that Ranma could shred them like paper won over the fear of Happosai. They both turned white and fainted on the spot.  
  
["Well that was easy."] Ranma thought as he dodged a throwing knife from Mousse. He noted that all the other fighters had gotten over the surprise and were now converging to attack. He quickly ducked a barrage of chains that wrapped Konatsu up completely then dodged Taro's fist and Ryoga's umbrella. After a few minutes of dancing around he backed away from the mosh pit that had formed. He laughed when Taro punched Ryoga into the swimming pool along with toothpick boy. Instant P-chan and one less opponent.  
  
"Take this! Fist of the White Swan Revised! SWAN LAKE!" Mousse shouted as he jumped into the air and threw hundreds of training potties at Ranma.  
  
Ranma stood up to full height and held up one hand. A slight cyan glow filled Ranma's eyes for a second, then disappeared. The training potties suddenly stopped in mid air, turned, then rocketed back at Mousse.  
  
Mousse frantically dodged the flying porcelain only to find himself stuck in mid-air as Ranma's eyes glowed lightly a second time. Happosai took that moment to hit Ranma with a small bomb, and Mousse fell to the ground and lost his glasses as the glow left Ranma's eyes.  
  
"NOW, DO IT NOW!" Happosai shouted, and with those words three shadows rose from the ground.  
  
"Sorry 'bout this, but we are under contract. We won't cripple you if we can help it." one of the demons said as it solidified into a solid form. All three were eight feet tall, looked like cats, and had jet black fur.  
  
"HAHAHA, you can't win against demons! Especially CAT demons!" Happosai shouted then started to cackle evilly.  
  
"Is he like this all the time?" a second demon asked.  
  
"Pretty much." Ranma said nonchalantly.  
  
"Oh, OK. Just checking."  
  
"Stop talking, lets get this over with and go home." the third demon said. With that he leaped towards Ranma intent on knocking the martial artist out.  
  
Said martial artist easily dodged by leaping straight up then coming down, heel first, at the base of the demon's spine. Ranma grabbed a hold of the tail and yanked hard, resulting in a cry of pain from the demon.  
  
"AHHH!!! NO FAIR! NOT THE TAIL!" the demon cried as he flailed about trying to clutch his broken tail.  
  
"Dude, that was harsh." the second demon said. "You have no clue how much that hurts."  
  
"I think I do." Ranma said as, with a grin, a dark gray tail unraveled from his waist.  
  
"What the..." was the response given by everyone at the same time.  
  
"Side effect of the Neko-ken. One of them at least." Ranma replied with a shrug.  
  
The two remaining demons turned towards Happosai. "You did not tell us we would be fighting a Neko-ken user. This is really not funny." the first said.  
  
"Yhea, bummer." the second added.  
  
"IT'S BROKEN! THAT MORTAL BROKE MY TAIL!" the third said as he rolled by in agony.  
  
"He's not supposed to be able to control it!" Happosai shouted in frustration.  
  
"Umm... technically it's not the Neko-ken." Ranma said helpfully.  
  
"What is it then?" the first demon said.  
  
"Well, when I was training last week someone calling themselves Urd and Skuld came down and helped me with my Neko-ken. They said that I was now the only living user of the Ryu-Tsume." Ranma said with a smile.  
  
The two remaining demons looked at each other and nodded. A quick blast of chaos energy and they incinerated the third, then turned and ripped each other's stomachs open. "No way in hell we're gonna fight him." the first said before he died.  
  
"Screw you, ya old pervert." the second said before he died as well. As the bodies went still, flames burst into existence and the bodies were incinerated and the demon's spirits banished back to hell.  
  
"Well that's just great. I knew I should have used twice as many bras and half as many panties..." Happosai mumbled.  
  
"Is that true, are you the wielder of the Dragon Claw?" Herb asked unsteadily.  
  
"Err... yhea. Why?" Ranma replied nervously.  
  
"GURAAAAAAH!" Taro snorted as he charged at Ranma, knocking Mousse's glasses back off on the way.  
  
"Not now Taro." Ranma said as he casually hopped over the charging beast and kicked him into the school building through an open window. A crash was heard followed by a young voice shouting out an attack. A few seconds later an adult Hinako walked out of the building and sat on a bleacher to watch the rest of the fight.  
  
"No reason really. You just happen to have more dragon's blood than I do now, that's all." Herb replied.  
  
"Oh... That explains the wings." Ranma said.  
  
"What wings?" Shampoo asked from the sidelines.  
  
"Hurts like hell to bring them out. Not gonna do it right now." Ranma replied.  
  
"Might as well get my beating over with." Herb said as he flew up into the air and launched a chi blast at Ranma.  
  
Ranma's aura sprung to life around him. It's size had not grown much. In fact it seemed to have shrunk. But it was pure ki now, not hampered by emotions that he may or may not be feeling. While harder to summon up, pure ki is much more useful. Since it was not hampered by emotion, it could be formed into different shapes much quicker and with less energy wasted. It was much more efficient to use, leaving the fighter with more endurance. While not much more powerful, it does have a little more kick that the lighter (love, happiness, innocence) emotions, but doesn't quite reach the power of the heavy emotions (hate, anger, depression). The real advantage of pure ki is the fact that it can be utilized in multiple ways at one time.  
  
The chi blast stuck Ranma's aura and promptly exploded. A large dust cloud was kicked up at the point of impact. Suddenly the dust began to swirl on one side and a beam of white ki lanced out to strike Herb. Herb dodged, but the beam curled back around to strike him from behind. A thin sheet of ice quickly formed over him from the neck down, leaving him immobilized. As the dust cleared Ranma could be seen standing on a small patch of grass that stood in the middle of a crater, his aura blazing and him unharmed.  
  
"So, it seems grandson has mastered the use of raw ki. Quite a catch indeed." Cologne muttered to herself, somehow being overheard by Nabiki, who just put a grin on her face.  
  
"It's down to me and you old man." Ranma said as he turned to face Happosai. Mousse took that moment to forego his glasses and throw a kitchen sink at Ranma. His aim was perfect and the sink flew straight towards the blurry figure that had his back to him, unfortunately that figure was Happosai. A dull clunk echoed through the air, then Happosai fell over stiff with his head stuck in the drain of the sink.  
  
"So maybe we weren't alone... I always know he had a sink in there somewhere. Wonder what he keeps in his socks." Ranma said with a chuckle. He began walking towards the sidelines, his eyes glowing cyan once again. Mousse was lifted off the ground and flung towards the pool, landing with a splash and a quack. ["Why did he quack BEFORE he turned into a duck?"] Ranma wondered.  
  
As Ranma wandered off the soccer field (read battlefield) Genma (who woke up as soon as the fight was over and his hide safe), Ukyo, and Shampoo ran up to him.  
  
"Boy! Where did you learn that?"  
  
"Ran-chan, honey, when did you grow a tail?"  
  
"Now Ranma no have to marry pervert violent girl! Shampoo happy for Ranma!"  
  
"Ranma you jerk! What did you do to Ryoga? You killed him didn't you? And you were picking on P-chan again!" Akane screamed as she ran up holding a soggy P-chan. She was about to brain him with her mallet when he turned and looked deep into her eyes. She stopped dead in her track as his eyes seemed to pierce to her soul. She felt like an open book before him, nothing was hidden from his gaze. A lone tear streaked down his face.  
  
"You really believe all of that. How? Why?" Ranma said sadly.  
  
"Wha... What do you mean? Of course I do! Your nothing but a..." Akane started.  
  
"Insensitive baka. A jerk, idiot, jock. A prize to be kept from others, to be destroyed as a child eventually does to all their toys. Something to do as you wish with, then cast aside at the slightest inconvenience. No more than a roach you would step on and think nothing of. Ever since the wedding attempt, that's all I have been to you. You had feelings for me before that, but not true love. Not quite yet. If only you had given it a chance. But fear and greed kept you from showing it. I could never be happy with you now. Maybe it was never meant to be. I don't know why I didn't see it before. I was just as blind as you. But I know different now." Ranma said quietly, the noise of the crowd preventing anyone but those gathered around him hearing. He silently turned to face Genma.  
  
Genma too felt like an open book. A very thin, picture book; but still open. He tried to lower his eyes and break Ranma's gaze, but was held in place.  
  
"And to you I've been nothing but a tool. The master craftsman keeps his tools nice and sharp, he uses the best he can, and he creates what he wants with that tool. But when the tool breaks, he tosses it away in favor of a new one. As soon as I was useless and broken, you were going to cast me aside. But you wished to use me as long as possible. You wanted to use me to craft yourself into a comfortable life, then leave me to dull and rust. And when I was of no more use..." Ranma said sadly. He turned to Soun and the other two Tendo daughters as they walked up. "Mr.Tendo, I can't marry Akane. Nabiki would be almost as bad. Kasumi has already been proposed to. I advise her to accept. I know this engagement means alot to you, but I know your family's happiness comes first. Trust me when I say that none of your daughters could lead a happy life with me." Ranma said loud enough for them to hear.  
  
Soun looked at Ranma, looked into Ranma's eyes, and realized the truth. "Well, it seems you were the first to open your eyes. Thank you for opening mine too." he said with sadness playing across his face. He turned to Genma slowly. "What your son said is true. I cannot force my family do to something that would force them to lead a life they do not wish. I am breaking the pact between the families."  
  
Genma stood there dumbfounded for a few seconds. "You can't do that! It's family honor!"  
  
"I am afraid I must use the subclause to the agreement then." Soun said as he began digging through his pockets.  
  
"Subclause? What are you talking about Tendo?" Genma asked, starting to sweat nervously.  
  
"Ah! Here we go. This one on the back of the napkin that says either party reserves the right to break the engagement if he deems it harmful to his family." Soun said as he showed Genma the napkin they had signed the pact on all those years ago.  
  
Genma took the napkin from Soun and quickly read over it. Then he tried to eat it, before Ranma snatched it back and handed it back to Soun.  
  
"I am sorry Genma, but it must be done." Soun said, eyes watering slightly.  
  
"He will get over it." Ranma said calmly.  
  
Genma slowly looked up at Ranma. He idly noticed Nodoka approaching in the background, but put it aside for now. "I guess you are right Tendo, the pact could no longer be carried out anyways." he said while staring at Ranma.  
  
"What do you mean Genma?" Soun asked.  
  
"The agreement was my son would marry one of your daughters, and I have no son." Genma said in an icy tone.  
  
+----------------------------------------------------------+  
  
Yes, it's another short chapter. But this was a good place to leave off. I've had a massive case of writers block the past few days and just haven't been able to continue the story. So I decided to say 'Screw it' and redo the storyline. I'm happy with it so far. It is kinda Dark and all, but it will get better for Ranma.  
  
So, one fiancee down two to go (Kodachi isn't a fiancee, but will be dealt with anyway.)  
That doesn't necessarily mean Shampoo or Ukyo will get married to Ranma (I'm still trying to fit the ladle lady in there somewhere.). I might just have Ranma regress into the Neko-ken in a freak lightning storm and live in a box under the Nekohanten's porch for the rest of his life. Whichever way it goes, this is the last time I'm writing about it. You'll just have to wait until I write it (Don't complain, I have to wait too :P)  
  
Got questions? Comments? Flames?  
Send them in and I'll answer, reply, and laugh (in that order).  
  
Noaki (Noaki@juno.com) 


	4. Tears

A Mind among Men  
A Ranma Fanfic  
Written By : Noaki (Noaki@attbi.com)  
  
Disclaimer : I do not own in any way shape or form any  
part of Ranma. I only use it's characters and some of its  
storyline.  
  
Conversation Key :  
[" "]=Thoughts  
" " =Speaking  
* * =Telepathy  
{" "}=Panda Signs  
\" "/=Other Languages  
  
Chapter Two  
Tears  
  
+----------------------------------------------------------+  
  
What has happened (Time line):  
This fanfic started a week after the failed wedding attempt. Ranma sits on the roof and thinks (Hell let out for a snow day) about an upcoming challenge. He finally decides to use a scroll that could very well drive him insane for life. After reading the scroll, a big change comes over Ranma. He leaves for a ten day training trip and comes back very different. After a day at school the preparation for the upcoming battle is completed and the fighters gather in the early morning. The fight continues and Ranma wins, and chooses to break the engagement with Akane. Soun agrees and uses a subclause in the pact to honorably break the engagements. Genma blames it on Ranma.  
  
+----------------------------------------------------------+  
  
Genma slowly looked up at Ranma. He idly noticed Nodoka approaching in the background, but put it aside for now. "I guess you are right Tendo, the pact could no longer be carried out anyways." he said while staring at Ranma.  
  
"What do you mean Genma?" Soun asked.  
  
"The agreement was my son would marry one of your daughters, and I have no son." Genma said in an icy tone.  
  
Ranma stopped moving, stopped breathing, his face went blank, and his eyes wide and unfocused.  
  
Kasumi blinked then softly said "Oh My!" as she walked over to Ranma and pulled him into a comforting embrace.  
  
Akane got pulled out her mallet and got ready to attack Ranma for cheating on her with her sister when she remembered they were no longer engaged. So she was going to smack him for flirting with her SISTER. Then Genma's works sunk in a bit. "What do you mean Mr. Saotome? Ranma is standing right there." she said pointing towards the stunned boy.  
  
"Who is Ranma? There is no Ranma in our family." Genma said as Nodoka joined the group.  
  
"Did you take a blow to the head Genma? Ranma is right here. What are you talking about?" Nodoka asked.  
  
"The only Ranma I know is a dishonorable bastard, one that ran from his duties. It would be a shame to have someone like him tarnishing the Saotome name." Genma replied coldly.  
  
A short sob came from Ranma, then he stood up straight. Unshed tears sparkled in his eyes. He slowly turned to his mother. "Mom... Mrs. Saotome, I wish to speak to you later if you would." he said softly, then turned to face Genma. "You did no less than I should have expected from you. After all, if I won't do your work then I'm just a broken tool. Since you think I have run from my duties, remember your own duties as well. I may not have a family now, but you never really did." Ranma said to Genma before walking off towards the Tendo compound.  
  
"Where do you think you are going?" Genma shouted after him.  
  
"I'm going to get my pack... and I don't know after that." Ranma said without stopping.  
  
Genma watched his ex-son walk off, he turned to his best friend. "Shall we go home Soun?" he asked.  
  
"Yes, we shall. After all, you must clear your possessions out of the guest room." Soun replied in a similar tone to the one Genma used earlier.  
  
"What? What do you mean by that?" Genma stuttered, a worried look crossing his face.  
  
"I mean that you are no longer welcome to stay at our home." Soun replied.  
  
"Why?" Genma mumbled, then turned towards Nodoka. "Nodoka! Glad you made it! Sorry you were late. Shall we go home now?" he asked smugly.  
  
"Yes, I shall go home after I make a stop at the Tendo's." Nodoka replied.  
  
"Very well, I must pick up a few things anyway, or whatever is left that the boy hasn't stolen by now."  
  
"I said _I_ will be going home. I do not care where YOU go, but you are not welcome to follow." Nodoka said. She turned and nodded to the Tendos, then they all started walking back in the direction of the Tendo compound.  
  
"Why? Why would they abandon me? I did nothing wrong... It's all Ranma's fault!" Genma muttered before turning to find some shelter for the rough nights ahead. If one were to look closely a tear could be seen running down his face.  
  
Genma walked away from the middle of the battle field as a thick fog seemed to roll over the field, and all over Nermia. It was as if the very earth was saddened by this turn of events and wished to hide away for a while.  
_ _ _  
_=-+-=_=-+-=_  
  
"Ranma! Don't you understand? You can stay here!" Akane shouted as Ranma continued to pack his few belongings.  
  
"Oh my, where will you go Ranma?" Kasumi asked.  
  
"I have to leave, it's time I figured out what I really want from life." Ranma said, a slight smile forming on his face. "Don't worry, I'll try to keep in touch no matter what."  
  
Kasumi smiled at hearing this. "I have one more question before you leave." Kasumi said as Ranma was shouldering his pack and preparing to jump out the window.  
  
"What is it?" Ranma asked as he turned to face Kasumi.  
  
"How did you know Dr.Tofu proposed to me?" Kasumi asked.  
  
"I saw it in your eyes." Ranma replied, then jumped out the window and disappeared into the fog that had gathered.  
  
"What kind of answer is that? Stupid jerk..." Akane said then ran off to her room, a tear rolling down her face.  
_ _ _  
_=-+-=_=-+-=_  
  
Ranma hopped over the closed gate of the Tendo compound and got ready to walk down the street. A slight noise was heard and he spun to face it.  
  
"Ready to go home son?" Nodoka asked when Ranma faced her.  
  
"I'm not your son anymore." Ranma replied sadly, looking down at the ground at his feet.  
  
"Genma is not my husband anymore." Nodoka retorted.  
  
Ranma looked up at his mother in surprise, then a grin formed on his face. He stepped forward and gave her a big hug.  
  
Nodoka was surprised at Ranma's sudden display of affection, but took it in stride. ["He has been through many changes recently it seems, I'm sure he has many more surprises tucked away."] "Let's go home for now, tomorrow we will get our names put back on my family's registry. Soon Genma will be the only Saotome in Japan. And we can be a family again." Nodoka said happily, a tear in her eye.  
  
Ranma let his mother out of his embrace and smiled. As they turned to walk towards their new home, three figures could be made out in the fog ahead.  
  
"Who is there?" Nodoka commanded, hand reaching for her katana.  
  
Ranma however was able to recognize the three figures, his new senses were quite useful in many cases. He stopped his mother's hand while he called out to the three. "Hello Ukyo, Shampoo, and Kodachi."  
  
The three girls stepped forward under a street light. "Hello Ran-chan\Airen\Ranma-sama." they all said. (Respectively to Ranma's comment, duh.)  
  
"Can we help you?" Nodoka asked politely.  
  
"Is it true that Ranma-sama knows the Ryu-Tsume?" Kodachi quickly asked.  
  
"Yes, I am the sole user of the Ryu-Tsume. Why do you ask?" Ranma replied.  
  
Kodachi looked to be on the verge of tears. "As you know, my father and brother are quite insane. What many people do not know, is of my younger sister. She had decided to be a great martial artist, and nothing could stand in her way. So she got a hold of a secret training manual. The manual described the training for the Ryu-Tsume. The training destroyed her mind, and she killed our mother. Seeing mother dying she snapped out of the trance she was in, and took her own life as well. I am afraid I must break off my engagement you for I could never love someone who could use such a destructive and evil style. Goodbye Ranma." she said. She quickly turned and walked away, a single tear rolling down her face shining in the light from the street lamp.  
  
Ranma sweatdropped. "It was THAT easy to get rid of her all along?" he mumbled.  
  
Nodoka nodded slowly. "If you had ended up married to that particular girl, I would have forced you to commit seppuku for your own sake."  
  
"Shampoo no blame Airen's mother... Shampoo would no force even Mousse to crazy rose girl." Shampoo added, also with a sweat drop.  
  
"Ran-chan..." Ukyo said quietly.  
  
"What is it Ucchan?" was the reply.  
  
"I... I know that I was to be married to Ranma Saotome according to the deal our fathers made... since you are no longer a Saotome, I guess I can't call you my fiancee anymore. But I would like to be your friend, and one day... maybe more. I never wanted you for you name." she said softly.  
  
"... Thank you Ucchan. That does mean alot to me." Ranma replied. "That you'll be my friend that is." he added quickly when he noticed the 'My Son Is So Manly' glint in his mother's eyes.  
  
"Shampoo want Ranma to know Shampoo love Ranma for Ranma being Ranma. Kiss of Marriage is given to person, not to name. Shampoo no give up so easy." Shampoo said, a small grin at the edges of her mouth.  
  
"So it's not as easy to keep you two away huh?" Ranma said, a grin forming on his face.  
  
"Not on your life sugar." Ukyo replied, a grin on her face as well.  
  
"Shampoo never give up Airen!" Shampoo said between giggles.  
  
"I'm glad I still have two friends that care. For now I want to go home and get moved in. I just know that the days ahead will be interesting." Ranma said, almost happily. ["Maybe this is all for the better."]  
  
"Come Ranma, I want to show you your new room so you can unpack. Then we can re enroll you in school, maybe Juuban High." Nodoka said.  
  
Ranma face-faulted, then was drug off by his mother into the fog.  
  
The two girls just stood there looking down the street after Ranma and his mother.  
_ _ _  
_=-+-=_=-+-=_  
  
It was only a few minutes later that Akane rushed out onto the street. She noticed Shampoo and Ukyo standing there, both peering into the fog with eyes clouded with unshed tears. "Did Ranma leave already?" she asked, looking in the same direction with her own tear filled eyes.  
  
"Yes." both other girls replied, not turning their heads.  
  
"That jerk... he didn't wait for me to say goodbye." Akane said softly, another tear rolling down her cheek.  
  
Both Shampoo and Ukyo turned to look at Akane. Ukyo took note of the tears. "I thought you didn't love him." she said, her tone of voice almost accusing.  
  
"I don't... but I wanted to tell him to give me time. I could use another friend." Akane said before running back into her house.  
  
"Aiya..."  
  
"You said it sugar..."  
_ _ _  
_=-+-=_=-+-=_  
  
"Ranma, I just got off the phone with the principal of Juuban High. You'll start taking classes tomorrow." Nodoka said as she walked into Ranma's new room.  
  
Ranma's new rooms wasn't huge, but it wasn't tiny either. It had a small bed, a bookcase, a desk, and a large window looking out over the koi pond in the back yard. A small picture frame was on one wall, an image in it that surprised Ranma. He was currently staring at it.  
  
"I see you like that. I have a friend who does computer graphic editing. I... convinced... Nabiki to loan me some pictures she had of you. My friend was more than happy to make that photo." she explained as she walked up to stand behind her son.  
  
The picture in question was rather interesting. In the background were images of Ranma and Ranma-chan fighting various opponents. In the middle was the image of Ranma and Ranma-chan leaning back to back and smiling.  
  
"Thanks Mom. It's nice to have a reminder like this." Ranma said happily.  
  
"Reminder?" Nodoka asked, confused as to what her son meant.  
  
"Yes, a reminder that I am half boy and half girl. It's taken me a while to accept it, but it's something I can't change. Even if I could, I don't know if I would now." Ranma answered.  
  
["My son is growing up so fast. I wish he had never gone on that trip, or that I had gone with him. I've missed out on so much of his life."] Nodoka thought sadly.  
  
Ranma turned to his mother. "Trust me, you don't wish you could have been on the trip. And I'm here now, so don't worry." he said.  
  
"It's almost if you read my mind." Nodoka said with a smile.  
  
"I did."  
  
"..."  
  
"I think I have some things to explain. This will take a while, let's go sit downstairs and have some tea."  
  
"..."  
  
Ranma took his mother's hand and carefully lead her downstairs.  
_ _ _  
_=-+-=_=-+-=_  
  
Ranma walked into the room carrying two steaming cups of tea. He sad one down for his mother then sat down across the table from her.  
  
Nodoka smiled at her son, he was acting so much more grown up than just a few short weeks ago. "Now then, I think you have some explaining to do."  
  
Ranma nodded. "You remember about the neko-ken, right?"  
  
"Of course. I still haven't figured out how to punish Genma for that." Nodoka replied, her voice cold and icy.  
  
"Well shortly after that, when I was acting like a cat, I ran across a nice woman. She knew about the neko-ken and was determined to help me. I would sneak away from Pops every night and spend an hour or two talking and learning with her. Her name was Kionai. She helped me expand my mind and contain the neko-ken." Ranma said, smiling as he thought back to those times.  
  
"But I thought you couldn't control it." Nodoka countered.  
  
"Well, it seems that having control over the neko-ken meant it was a part of me at all times. It's hard to suppress right now, but was nearly impossible to suppress back then. I had begun to display cat like behavior constantly. In order for me to be able to fit in, she locked the neko-ken away again. It had the unfortunate side effect of locking most of my memories of her training away too." Ranma answered. "Anyway, she had given me a scroll. This scroll had the phrase to unlock my memories, and the neko-ken, printed on it. The danger of this was, if I wasn't prepared, I could go into the neko-ken permanently."  
  
"You took a risk like that?" Nodoka asked, eyes wide in surprise.  
  
"I had to. I'm a very strong fighter, but I knew that Happosai and his team would be difficult to take down if they worked together. I felt that being forced to marry Akane like that wasn't for me. It ends up I was right. So I read the scroll. The changes literal happened overnight. The differences were amazing. It was like my mind was behind a thick fog that suddenly cleared. Things that were so hard to figure out before were simple now. After that I left to train in my new abilities. Well, remember how to do them mostly. I still can't do everything I learned, but I am working on it." Ranma said.  
  
"I heard that you had done something strange to that Chinese boy during the battle, was that something you learned?" Nodoka asked.  
  
"Mousse? Yhea. He threw a bunch of training pots at me and I stopped them in midair then threw them back at him. Then I just picked him up telekineticly. I would have done something mean, but was interrupted." Ranma said.  
  
"Amazing. Now I have one more question." Nodoka said.  
  
"What is it?" Ranma asked.  
  
"Explain the tail." Nodoka said, in a blunt, matter-of-fact tone.  
  
Ranma couldn't help but to face fault.  
  
"Well, it seems that having the true neko-ken under my control again is changing me slightly. I grew the tail while I was out training. It's easy enough to just wrap around my waist like a belt. If you were to look closely at my eyes, you could tell the irises have changed shape slightly. Also, I can grow fur... but it itches really bad. I think my ears are changing shape too, but I could be wrong. Also the Ryu-Tsume has made a few changes to me as well. But I think those have stopped for the most part." Ranma said.  
  
"Ryu-Tsume?" Nodoka inquired.  
  
"Yes, the Dragon Claw techniques. It's a modified form of the neko-ken. It's not as fast as the neko-ken, but the attacks are much more powerful. I'm working on a way to combine the two together and use them at the same time, but until I figure out how I can just switch back and forth between them." Ranma answered.  
  
"Genma didn't throw you in a pit of dragons or anything did he?" Nodoka asked worried.  
  
"He wouldn't be alive today if he tried something that stupid. Two people found me while I was training. It seems my mind wasn't very focused, and was putting out some random psychic energy. When Skuld and Urd came out to inspect the energies, they thought I was a demon for a while. They helped me focus better. When they found out I knew the neko-ken, I think I was purring or something in my sleep, the decided to teach me the Ryu-Tsume."  
  
"They didn't throw..." Nodoka started before Ranma interrupted.  
  
"No, actually they handed me a nice little book - it even had pictures. I figured out how to modify the neko-ken instead of going through with the Ryu-Tsume training. Which only involved interacting with dragons in certain ways. I wonder what type of weird training Kodachi's sister put herself through for the technique?" Ranma said quickly to prevent his mother from worrying.  
  
"Any changes I should know about from that?" Nodoka asked, slightly worried about the thought of her son breathing fire or something.  
  
"Only two that I know of." Ranma replied sheepishly.  
  
"And they are?"  
  
"I have a pair of wings for one. I don't want to show you right now, it hurts pretty bad to grow them." Ranma said.  
  
"What do you mean grow them?" Nodoka asked.  
  
"It's a technique of the Ryu-Tsume. I can hide the wings, then regenerate them later. I'm hoping I can adapt the technique to work with my curse. But even if I do, I'll still change with water." Ranma said.  
  
"What is the second?" Nodoka asked.  
  
Ranma pulled one of his bracer off of his forearm. Beneath it was black scales. They grew to form bracer made of dragon scale. "I was lucky they grew only on my forearms, I can hide them beneath my bracer or just tell people they are exotic bracer. You would think that they would be hard, but they are pretty soft. I don't really know why." Ranma explained.  
  
"This is much to think about. But for now we must get you a school uniform. You do start tomorrow after all." Nodoka said as she began to stand.  
  
"Err, mom? There is a problem with school uniforms." Ranma said.  
  
"What is it?" Nodoka asked. "I'm sure we can modify it slightly if you don't like the color or something."  
  
"It's not that, it's my curse. Wearing a girl's uniform as a boy is VERY embarrassing. Unless I wrap my chest, which hurts really bad when my curse activates, I have... problems with the boy's uniform." Ranma explained, cheeks red.  
  
"Oh. Well then, we'll just have to explain to the principal about your curse and why you can't wear a uniform tomorrow." Nodoka said. "Now come along, we have to buy you some new clothes anyways. Those are beginning to get a bit small."  
  
"Yes mam." Ranma said as he reluctantly stood to follow, putting the bracer back on his arm as they left the house.  
_ _ _  
_=-+-=_=-+-=_  
  
Meanwhile - in a dark, smelly dimension.  
  
["Those damn Sailor Scouts! How can they ruin my plans so easily? Nikyo will not be pleased with me..."] a tall man with long brown hair and wearing a suit of black armor thought as he returned for the Earth realm, his mission - to capture territory and establish a beach head of sorts for the invading armies - failed. He stopped before a large black circle in the middle of the room. All around him various leaders of the military and local governments from this dimension stood, awaiting the Emperor.  
  
The black stone circle began to ripple, as if it was made of water. A small child-like figure slowly rose from the stone, sitting in a large blood-red crystal throne. "So Ukemi, what do you have to say for yourself?" the person said in a childish, yet plainly evil voice.  
  
"Emperor Nikyo, somehow those damn Scouts found up before we could establish a forward base. They targeted the dimensional beacons before we could get them to safety. It seems they have learned a few things since our last encounter." Ukemi said quickly.  
  
"Enough of your excuses. If you weren't so valuable to me, I would kill you where you stand. But believe this, if you do not bring me a victory soon, I will leave you on Earth for the Scouts to kill! And that's only if you are lucky." Nikyo said. "Now begone. You better come up with a working plan soon, for your own sake." he said as he and this throne sunk back into the black stone. ["Soon I shall capture the Earth realm and add it to my empire. And I can finally get out of this dark and smelly dimension! Anyone who stands in my way will be crushed!"]  
_ _ _  
_=-+-=_=-+-=_  
  
At a small shrine temple in Juuban, a small gathering of girls sneezed at once.  
  
At the local Juuban mall a boy with a black pigtail sneezed.  
  
+----------------------------------------------------------+  
  
Welcome to the third chapter of this series. Well, welcome to the end of it.  
As you can see I have decided to cross this story over with Sailor Moon. And I will say it here and now.  
  
RANMA WILL NOT BECOME A SCOUT, AND WILL PROBABLY NOT MARRY A SCOUT!  
  
Thank you. The Scouts will be used mostly as a story plot. Since I had only sat down with ideas for the opening of this fic when I created it, I never planned too far in advance. I figured I would just write as the story came to me. Having the Scouts in here allows me to create of the wall, and stupid, opponents to keep the storyline moving. If you don't like it, then tell me, but also include an alternate idea. If enough people give me a good one, I might rewrite the story using it.  
  
Also, I have decided to start a vote on who Ranma will pair up with. Keep in mind that I might use the outcome of this vote only as a plot device (AKA Ranma goes out with this person until he meets whoever he does marry, if he marries) and is mostly just to get feedback from my readers. Do me a favor and email me (Noaki@juno.com) instead of posting your vote in a review. Review votes may or may not be counted. Give me any char from any series you wish (include the series if it's not Ranma or Sailor Moon)  
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Vote Count:  
Shampoo : 1  
Belldandy (Oh, My Goddess!) : 1  
Kasumi : 1  
Saturn & Pluto : 1  
Ami : 1  
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Noaki (Noaki@juno.com)  
  
Noaki@juno.com 


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